Device for operating car couplers



July 7, 1931. A. E. SMALL DEVICE FOR OPERATING GAR COUPLERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.

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July 7, 1931. g SMALL 1,813,549

DEVICE FOR OPERATING GAR COUPLERS Filed Dec. 18. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mentor: ArlharE. $111211 Patented July 7, 1931 WUNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE ARTHUR E. SMALL, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGnon T UnIon METAL, rnonucrs COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; A ooaronA'rIon or DELAWARE DEVICE FOR ornnernve can ooU -LERs Application filed December 18; 1929. Seria1 No.-414,887.

.15 car and the rotor, which members are connected together and to the operating rod by universal joints.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 show a typical application of my device to a railway car.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a detail of the connecting rod.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a detail of the universal joint member.

9 Figs. 7 and 8 show a modified construction.

In the construction illustrated the usual parts of the car are shown, such as end wall 2; draft sill 3; striking casting 4; push pole pocket 5; brake mast 6; brake mast guide 7 and brake mast support 8. The coupler 9 is mounted upon the car so as to move longitudinally and laterally of itself in service.

My device comprises an operating rod 1.2 mounted upon any convenient portion of the car by brackets 13 and 1 1 and is arranged to prevent any substantial movement of the rod laterally of the car so that the handle 16 remains in substantially the same distance'from the side of the car irrespective of the position of the coupler. A connecting rod 17 is attached to the inner end of the operating rod by a universal joint and the opposite end of the connecting rod is connected to the rotor rod 18 by a univer sal joint and the inner end of the rotor rod 18 is operatively connected to the rotor 19. Each universal joint comprises a member 21 pivotally attached to the adjacent rods with the, axis of the pivot connecting the member 21 to one of the rods positioned nor- 7 mal to the axis ofthe pivot connecting the member to the other of said rods.

The joint 30 between the connecting rod 17 and the rotor rod 18. is preferably nearer the-couplerthan the joint 81 between the connecting rod 17 and the operating rod 12 when the coupler is in extreme lateral serv- Ice position toward the connecting rod;

furthermore, thejoint 31. between the connecting rod 17 and the operating rod 12 is preferably in ahigher horizontal plane than thejoint 30 between the connecting rod 17 'and'the rotor'rod 18 in any service position the; coupler may assume. The objectof these preferred positions is to obtain more efficient actions of the universal ']O1'11i3S.-

In order to fkeep-the joint between the connecting rod,17 andthe rotor rod 18 from interfering with the striking casting 4.- or otheradjacent car part, I provide a shelf 33 extending from thejcar wall which supports the connecting rod and maintains it in the desired predetermined position.

The preferred construction is shown in .Figs. 1 and 2 wherein thefoperating rod 12 is supported upon the car wallby spaced apart brackets 1314 and the rotor rod is shortened so that the connecting rod and its universal joints will be positioned toward the center of the car and near the wall of thecar so as to be protected from falling articles and also out of the way of the switchmen when moving the coupler to effect a coupling. In a great many cars, however, particularly dump cars, there is a great deal of mechanism positioned adjacent the coupler and in such cars I prefer to use the construction illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 wherein the operating rod 35 is supported upon the car wall by an elongated bracket 36 having ,suflicient bearing to retain the operating rod in its substantially horizontal position. The rotor rod 37 is correspondingly lengthened.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construcion shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, Within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: V

1. In a railway car, the combination of a coupler mounted upon the car so as to move longitudinally and laterally thereof in serv- 7 ice, said coupler comprising a rotor arranged to operate said coupler upon rotation there- 2. In a railway car, the combination of a coupler mounted upon the car so as to move longitudinally and latera'llythereof in service, said coupler comprising a rotor arranged to operate said coupler upon rotation thereof, an operating rod rotatively mounted upon the car so as to prevent any substantial movement of the rod laterally of the car, said rod having a handle at its outer end, a rotor rod having its inner end rotatively connected to said rotor, and a connecting rod having its opposite ends connected by universal joints to the inner end of the operating rod and to the outer end of the rotor rod, respectively, whereby the raising of the handle rotates the rotor in any position the coupler may assume in service, the joint between the connecting rod and the rotor rod being nearer the coupler than the joint between the connecting rod and the operating rod when the coupler is in the extreme lateral service position adjacent the connecting rod.

3. In a railway car, the combination of a coupler mounted upon the car so as to move longitudinally and laterally thereof in servconnecting rod and the operating rod being in a higher horizontal plane than the joint between the rotor rod and the. connecting rod-in any service position of the coupler.

ARTHUR E. SMALL.

ice, said coupler comprising a rotor arranged to operate said coupler upon rotation thereof, an operating rod rotatively mounted upon the car so as to prevent any substantial movement of the rod laterally of the car, said rod having a handle at its outer end, a rotor rod having its inner end rotatively connected to said rotor, and connect ing rod having its opposite ends connected by universal joints to the inner end of the operatiug'rod and to the outer end of the rotor rod, respectively, whereby the raising of the handle rotates the rotor in any position the coupler may assume in service, the joint between the connecting rod and the rotor rod being nearer the coupler than the iao 

